The Environment Authority – Abu Dhabi has planted two million mangrove trees as part of efforts to protect an essential part of the coastal ecosystem. The planting drive is a pre-emptive move by the agency to protect mangroves from the effects from development and expansion projects in the emirate. Mangrove trees provide a safe habitat for many species of birds and fish, supporting biodiversity and helping to replenish fish resources. Dr Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, executive director of the sector of land and marine biodiversity, said the project’s main objective was to increase the mangrove canopy along Abu Dhabi’s coast….

Nine public parks and public squares are currently being built in Dubai, Hussain Lootah, Director-General, Dubai Municipality, said. The projects, worth Dh77 million in total, will add more green and leisure spaces in the city. Lootah said the projects are in line with the aims of the municipality to deliver happiness to people by way of services that benefit the community. Meanwhile, development works worth Dh6.2 million in Al Mushrif Park are 90 per cent complete and expected to be finished this month. In December, a Dh4.5 million park will open in Nad Al Sheba 2, followed by a public…

Doha’s parks with fitness facilities and playgrounds have become popular destinations for families even during the summer. For Indian expatriate Arun, the Souq Waqif park provides a relaxing environment for his family especially during weekends. “It is in the heart of the city, very accessible and just across the Doha Corniche where we can engage in walking,” said the Doha resident who regularly takes his young son, Saaranj to the playground. Arun lauded the park’s initiative to put up fitness equipment for the public. Nepalese national Bagindra observed that many people benefit from the free use of the facilities. The…

People with special needs can now visit a park that has dedicated services for them. Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras opened Al-Erada Park in Al-Salama district on Prince Sultan Street on Thursday. “The Kingdom provides special care for people with disabilities. Just recently Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman approved a new arrangement granting people with disabilities SR150,000 for their transport needs,” Abu Ras said. He said the park is customized for people with special needs, which would allow them to integrate better into society. Mohammed Al-Mutairi, director general for landscaping at the municipality, said it covers 7,700…

With 30 hectares (74 acres) of pine forest, it could be Beirut’s answer to New York’s Central Park, but for 20 years the capital’s largest green space has been de facto off-limits to Lebanese. It’s a galling situation for residents of the city’s concrete jungle, where activists have spent years campaigning for Horsh Beirut to be reopened to the public. They have faced reluctance from the local municipality, which says the park that accounts for two-thirds of Beirut’s green space is not properly equipped to receive crowds of visitors. Home to around half of Lebanon’s population of roughly four million,…

The municipality is concerned that the general public is polluting the city’s parks by smoking, littering and barbecuing irresponsibly, Al-Madinah reported. Jeddah Municipality spokesman Mohammad Al-Bugamy said there are 540 parks in Jeddah and it is the responsibility of visitors as well as the city to maintain them. He said: “Despite the non-smoking and littering signs, people are polluting the parks with their negligence and misconduct. “We do not have enough officers monitoring the parks around the clock and we do not have any penalties for those who smoke or litter.” He added parks are an open space that “welcomes…

A crocodile garden, to be called the Dubai Garden of Crocodiles, is being built by Dubai Municipality in coordination with White Oryx Aquarium is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2016. The park will be built on the pattern of crocodile-style gardens in France and will include hundreds of crocodiles living and breeding in a natural environment. The garden will also include many species of Nile crocodiles, the largest reptile that lives in fresh water around the world. Khalifa Abdullah Hareb, Director of Property Management at Dubai Municipality, said the Dubai Garden of Crocodiles will be a…

This year is being heralded as a year of international success for Instarmac, following their recent attendance at the PPRSummit in Paris, Pollutec in Algeria, Outdoor Design & Build Show in Dubai, Stone+tec in Germany, Traffex in the UK and Intertraffic Istanbul in Turkey. In April, Instarmac’s International team attended the Outdoor Design and Build Show in Dubai. In its 3rd consecutive year, which is supported by the Dubai Municipality, the event is the only dedicated international platform in the Middle East that caters to the entire spectrum of hard and soft landscape products and services. Instarmac were delighted…

Building on the highly successful launch of Future Landscape & Public Realm Qatar in October 2014, Advanced Conferences & Meetings is proud to present the 2nd Future Landscape and Public Realm Qatar which will take place 26 – 27 October, 2015. Future Landscape & Public Realm Qatar 2015 will provide an opportunity for landscape and design professionals, urban planners, urban designers and high-level decision makers from across the value chain to gather together and discuss new innovations and technologies, key challenges, the latest projects and future opportunities. Participants will have the chance to hear about advancements in creating visually appealing…

Gree Flag Awards has announced its award to three parks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.The sites are Khalifa Park, Delma Park and Al Rhaba Park, all managed by Abu Dhabi Municipality, United Arab Emirates. These are the first parks in the region to be awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award.The first flag was raised in Khalifa Park by his excellency the General Manager. This major landmark is one of the city’s larger parks. The design derived from Islamic and Arabic architecture and the park boasts a beautifully landscaped grand avenue, fountains, lakes and waterfalls. Green Flag Award manager, Paul Todd,…